"Lily
Bloom"
A yearly but short lived event is the bloom of the lilies
on Sandhof Pan about 40 kilometres from Maltahoehe.

The
Crinum Paludosum belongs to the family Amaryllidaceae,
but why the Paludosum only grows in this area
is still a mystery.
Once the yearly rains start in January or February
and the pan fills to more than 30 centimetres,
it will take about five to seven days for the
flowers to grow and bloom.

In
a good rain year, like we had in 2006, the lilies
can cover up to seven hundred hectares. Together
with the flowers a horde of elephant beetles arrive
seemingly out of nowhere to devour on these delicacies,
but when the flowers fade, so do the beetles.We
will keep the public aware of this rare and beautiful
event through the radio and media.